A Hole in the Wall Leads to Quincy’s Family Steakhouse
You never know what you might find when you start taking apart your house…. Earlier this year, while working on the restoration of the dining room here at the Chancognie House, I found several pieces of newspaper stuffed in an old electrical switch in the wall. This was a common way to fill holes and gaps and I have clumps of old newspaper in nooks and crannies here, most of which have a date printed somewhere which is helpful in determining when the work was done.
The pages that I found in the dining room were part of the April 23, 1981, edition of The Evening Post (predecessor to the Charleston, SC Post & Courier) and in addition to news articles there were several advertisements. I posted stories of them on Instagram, one of which featured an ad for Quincy’s Steakhouse in North Charleston. I received a slew of replies with many people writing in with fond memories of the yeast rolls. So, I did a little research and discovered that while Quincy’s Steakhouse was once a thriving chain of restaurants in the southeast, it had fallen on hard times in the late 1990s.
Quincy’s was founded in 1970 by Alvin McCall, Jr., a native of Pelzer, SC and originally named Western Family Steak House. He sold the 9-restaurant chain in 1977 which peaked in 1990 with 212 restaurants around the southeast. A series of changes in ownership caused challenges for Quincy’s and by 1998 the chain had fewer than 100 restaurants. Mergers and financial issues combined with competition from other chains whittled down the number of restaurants even further and today there are just two left – one in Florence, SC and one in Monroe, NC. (The restaurant in Monroe was closed for several years after a fire and then during COVID shutdowns. It recently reopened, so when I was researching Quincy’s a few months ago, the restaurant in Florence was dubbed the last Quincy’s, but it seems that this is no longer the case.)
So, on a recent trip back from VA, I decided to make a detour to the Quincy’s Family Steakhouse in Florence, SC. I was clearly not the first person to come in just for the yeast rolls. When I asked if I could just order rolls to take out, the woman behind the register said, “Of course! All you have to do is ask.” She advised me to wait as a fresh batch was due out of the oven in a few minutes – just like the doughnut place (I assumed that she meant Krispy Kreme). Then she gave me instructions for optimal consumption – slice them in half and put the whipped honey spread inside while they are warm. I would advise against sharing the ingredients of the spread with your cardiologist, but when in Florence….
I ordered a dozen. I will not disclose how many made it back to Charleston, but as evidenced by the photo at the top of this post, at least five. Would I make a return trip to Quincy’s for the yeast rolls? Absolutely.
The Accidental Preservationist 
Love it
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Thank you and apologies for the delay in replying!
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In the summer of 1987 I worked as a “waitron” (had never heard of such a label that was androgens’) at Quincy’s Steak & Cake on Spring Street in Charleston, SC. I can still smell the yeast rolls. . .I instructions were to get the yeast rolls to the table as soon as possible. Upon my old age reflection, this made perfect economic sense as people would just devour these rolls and then be “full” so they would not eat as much of the buffet! Oh that Buffet! It was called the “COUNTRY SIDEBOARD” and oh was it something! You had a plate for the hot food; one for the cold food and another for dessert! That thing went for I swear a city block! It was a great restaurant and I cherish the memories. Kerry was a manager along with Mr. Walton and they were great to work for. There was Fran- who had been there forever! A true southerner that would some how work “LITTLE OLE” into every conversation! There was JOHNSKI. . . .he would laugh it his own jokes to point that he would roll on the floor. . .me not so much! I also worked at the one in Homewood, Alabama the next summer as I followed my brother from his job with the VA as a Dr. in Charleston to Birmingham where he enrolled in Dermatology school at UAB Birmingham. At Quincies over the hill in Homewood there was manager Freeman Weber and he was a true Character! Mr. Shortnessy I think was the GM; There was Bridget that used to bring in Burger King into the restaurant employee lunch room. .. she was hilarious! Tommy Golden was another waiter and another card if there ever eas one. . . and of coarse Cletus- the dishwasher. . .and that is another story!
Great fond memories and great food! I have never had yeast rolls as good as those that were made in Homewood store by Ester? Eleanore? Long time ago and I can’t remember but I can still see her making those rolls.
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Thank you for sharing your memories of Quincy’s! I have heard from many people who have fond memories of the yeast rolls from the customer side so it is fascinating to get your insight.
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is this Quincy’s related to the ones in Maryland?
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No, the Quincy’s restaurant in Florence, SC is not related to the Quincy’s establishments in Maryland.
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I did not know about this connection – thanks!
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